Lancer

Lancer
RPG published by Massif Press
Rule System	Shadow of the Demon Lord derivative
No. of Players	2+
Session Time	10+ minutes
Authors	Miguel Lopez and Tom Parkinson-Morgan
First Publication	2019

For the mounted unit and/or their primary weapon of choice, see: Lance

For the Imperial Knight pattern, see: Cerastus Knight Lancer

"You dig giant robots!
We dig giant robots!
CHICKS dig giant robots!"

– Megas XLR Theme Song

Lancer is a free-ish RPG about customizing, upgrading (and sometimes destroying) your very own mech from scratch. The player starts with a pilot, with a set of skills, stats, and talents, and a mech, composed of a CORE, which provides the base ratings of your mech ranging from HP to how good you are at aiming your massive underside cannon, and a FRAME, which is the external hardware covering the core. This can be anything from armor, weapons, and different sorts of fun systems (including a memetic virus that leaves those who see it stunned with brain damage or a gun dubbed Omnigun that is a "... piece of experimental hardware so advanced that it does not classify as any weapon...").

The Setting

TL;DR: Humanity fucked itself, slept it off for about five millennia, then woke up, punched itself, and decided to form a hegemony called Union. They discovered godlike AIs on Mars and had them crunch the numbers on the best way for humanity to not fuck itself over again. 3000 years later, they thought a tech-god AI called RA unto existence, who promptly fucked off with Deimos. Picking up the pieces left behind, humans harnessed blinkgates, galactic wi-fi, and AIs. 1500 years after that, humanity discovered the first sentient alien life. Union tried to peacefully contact them, and they got cholera and everything was fucked up. So they invented a whole new type of war-machine for the sole purpose of stomping on these bugs. And thus was the birth of the mech. After everyone found out the second committee of Union was waging a war of extermination against the only other sapient lifeform ever found, humanity spent a good long while in a state internal civil war, giving birth to a handful of micro-internal factions. The current ruling group of humanity invented Post-capitalism, Plunging the core worlds into an Utopian dream, though not without struggle, and though many worlds live the dream, thousands other struggle due to factors such as piracy, slavers, and dictators. This is where the main characters come in, the exceedingly rare Lancer Pilots.

Manufacturers

The chief classifications for the mech frames and gear are twofold in Lancer: The first is their role, which is pretty self-explanatory (Striker, Defense, Support, Controller, Artillery), and the other is their manufacturer. Each manufacturer has very distinct types of mechs with particular specialties, even within combat roles.

• GMS (General Massive Systems): All pilots start here. GMS is pretty much the generic-name manufacturer for almost everything, nationalized by Union, having built mechs since the dawn of colonization. GMS has weapons for everything to fill in the openings for your build. They also produce your starter frame, the Everest - a super-modular model that's actually quite zippy.
• IPS-N (Inter-Planetary Shipping - Northstar): One of the largest megacorps. They started with building spaceships, and function much like space amazon, horrifying exploitation of workers included. Their models tend to specialize in close-quarters Combat (CQC), and carry quite a bit of armor. Their whole frame production line is based on killing pirates and ironically, created the frames that would be most useful for said pirates.
• Smith-Shimano Corpro: One of the oldest of the megacorps, they specialize in luxury products and genetic modifications. SSC was quite quick to secure deals in subspace vessels. Their loftiest research projects involve merging man and machine into one seamless entity, but that's been mostly abandoned due to moral and legal pushback. SSC Mechs are really fast and sneaky, being made to avoid damage rather than taking it head-on. They also have plenty in the way of sniping.
• HORUS: It's not really clear what the deal is with this manufacturer. Is it a collective of master hackers who like fucking with things, or is it the product of a rogue not-AI God? Whichever the case, it's got weird mechs that use impossible technology, the models are so diverse that Union uses "Pattern Groups" named after mythical creatures and specializes in electronic warfare and AI management. Basically, if /b/ made mechs. Expect to get Eldritch horrors masquerading as mecha.
• Harrison Armory: Remnants of the Second Committee, they're gung-ho, militaristic, and have a cult of personality around John Creighton Harrison, now on his Third cloned body since the fall of the regime. Originally dealt exclusively with guns, but they eventually decided to make their own mechs and embrace their own brand of imperialism. HA's mechs tend to be durable, capable of managing themselves and getting the most out of their gear and their fun guns.

The Mechs/Frames (wip)

GMS frames

Everest: The basic bitch Frame, as mentioned before, is the standard GMS mech and may be the only frame they produce, at least in the core rulebook. Has some general benefits like being able to take an extra action once a combat/scene and some general benefits that work for all builds, but is generally outclassed at every turn by more focused mechs.

ISP-N frames

Blackbeard: A aggressive frame focused on launching harpoons into enemy mechs and locking them down. Gains the ability to swing around using said harpoon at higher license levels, and concede direct control of the mech to a murderhobo AI in exchange for more damage.

Drake: A absolute tank of a mech that has resistance to all ranged damage, and can deploy itself like a turret. Higher levels give you access to a minigun made of Dakka, and the ability to deploy increasingly ridiculous shields, right up until a fold-up instant bunker.

Lancaster: That fucking Boston robotics dog robot, made into a support. Pretty much entirely dedicated to healing and buffing. It can attempt to drag around enemies with towing cables, but it's pretty fucking hard. Not completely useless in a straight fight; it can debuff enemies as well as buffing allies, like using hard setting anti-fire foam to freeze a mech. Also somewhat immune to being lit on fire, which is real nice.

Nelson: Melee-focused knight robot. It has powerful mobility options, as well as systems that enhance its formidable melee weapons. It's the classic gundam-holding-a-giant-sword archetype.

Raleigh: Space Cowboy mech, complete with fanning the hammer at higher levels, fucking awesome, but got replaced as the flagship frame of ISP-N because people are idiots. It passively reloads shells each turn, which can be stored and released in a huge storm of bullets that shreds armor and deals an ass-load¹ of damage.

Tortuga: The type of mech the evil overlord's grunts would use in anime. Big, bulky, with a generic design blander than the lore from the forgotten realms. Has overwatch and some better weapons as unlocks. Literally more generic than the Everest, anyone who takes levels into this is either a boring cunt, or grabbing some unlocks.

Vlad: A very angry porcupine with a lance. Specializes in shredding armor, and throwing themselves into crowds of enemies to proc their Tormentor spines twice, then dying because getting surrounded is a death sentence in most cases. Great for people who really really, like tanking things.

SSC frames

Black Witch: The mech equivalent of Magneto. The frame takes half damage from all kinetic weaponry (bullets and knives and the like). It also has a neat system that lets it throw things around and ways to protect your allies from hackers. Fucking magnets, how do they work???

Death's Head: When you need to make a shot count, the Death's Head is a good call. This frame adds a bonus to all rolls to shoot and can re-roll the first shot it takes, meaning that this is when you make use of the Heavy slot it has. Its other systems are pretty much there to make sure that nothing gets in the way of you making your mark.

Dusk Wing: Weird illusionary bullshit. While it has all the means to hide itself and the ability to hover around, it is quite fragile. More of a large mech-suit than an outright Mecha. Also among the weirdest mechs even when compared to Horus frames, as the entire frame is built around mimicking some sort of reality-warping monster, and the person in the flavor text is convinced he's not actually escaped, but he's in the monsters belly or something.

Metalmark: Rather straightforward for Smith-Shimano, but it's also able to turn invisible whenever it moves and can actually fight. Also helpful is its unique knife, which deals the ever-so-bothersome burn damage.

Monarch: Missiles for days. If you plan on relying on launchers, this is the mech to use. All of its unique systems and weapons all ride off being missiles of some sort. Even the mech's core system just lets it fire off a metric fuckton² of missiles just to see what can dodge the shitstorm.

Mourning Cloak: The edgy loner's mech, able to teleport behind enemies like it's nothing personnel. Its core system lets it teleport around with an additional system to teleport away the moment things go south. However, as anyone can tell you, the edgelords can brag all they want about studying the blade, but it won't mean much when they get their lights punched out.

Swallowtail:

Horus Frames

Balor: Instead of making one big mech, the lazy potheads at Horus just programmed a nanite swarm to do everything for them. Due to this, the Balor endlessly regenerates both in and out of combat, needing heat energy or mass concentrated fire to take it down reliably. Abusing this mech is the fastest way to get all Horus mechs banned from the table.

Goblin: If you take this, you are a heal slut, or a person who thew a hissy fit when geektyper started showing ads so you couldn't roleplay as a leet haxor anymore, no exceptions. You literally latch onto a bigger mech and pump them full of buffs, with a unique weapon working off of reactions. And seeing as how you only have one weapon slot, you'll be nothing but a pocket healer for the rest of the game, as you take extra damage when detached. It does have some neat tech attacks, but you can't fight for shit, and basically have to rely on a big bulky tank you can latch onto, can't get more support than that.

Gorgon: Remember how fucking broken the sentinel feat is in 5th edition dnd is? Have a mech just like it, based around punishing people for not hitting the tank and going for the squishy shooters. Has a hologram system that shows something horrible to both mechs and users, stunning them, so its probably a compilation of everything posted in /d/.

Hydra: DRONESPAMDRONESPAMDRONESPAMDRONESPAM.

Manticore: Probably the biggest tell that Horus was most likely originally intended to be the villain faction. A mech with 2 whole traits turning it into a bomb with legs. The more on fire you are, the more lightning you'll spit out. Facetank as much heat damage as you can, then run up to the BBEG then cover them in your bodily fluids... because you just exploded and your eyeballs burst onto his visor. Abusing this will cause the GM to take away your backup clones.

Minotaur: Have a second mech based around forcing you to fight a tank. Uses gravity field bullshit and l33t haxz to pull a you shall not pass on other mechs. Fun fact, by RAW you can simply hide in this mech and never die if you keep the latch closed, even if the frame itself explodes.

Pegasus: Probably the biggest example of Warp-fuckery in the shape of a mass-produced Eva, the Pegasus's main feature is some sort of super-gun that doesn't exist, yet can somehow still shoot, which just means it gets free damage with no saves when it fires each turn. Its other feature lets it deal consistent damage on guns with randomized damage.

HA Mechs

Barbarossa: The big fucking mech. This is the only mech that is size 3 by default and carries a massive fucking ship-grade cannon as a core system.

Genghis: A walking warcrime deployed against the bug Xenos, this mechs entire thing is not robotic horseback riding like you would expect, but using a massive flamethrower. It has arguably one of the best system upgrades that allows your mech to clear all heat if you sit still, don't shoot, or be shot at that turn.

Napoleon: The Tankiest Manlet.

Sherman:

Tokugawa: The mech for pushing the limits of your mech. Has tons of special actions and weapons that deal massive amount of temperature increase, but gains massive damage in return. Play this bad, and there's a chance the GM won't even need to do anything as you blow yourself up.

Mechanics

The core system is pretty basic; 1d20 versus a target number (10 for skill checks, and a defensive stat for attacks) with up to 3d6 (taking only the highest) as Accuracy and Difficulty penalties granted by talents, circumstances, etc. The pilot side of the game is lightweight storygame-y stuff, usually based on how you plan to get some advantages and assets for combat, while the mech side is 4E-like tactical combat on a hex grid.

As you level up, you can improve both how your pilot and mech operate, gaining talents to specialize in mech combat, skills for managing downtime, and License Levels in order to buy new wargear and frames for your mech.

Gallery

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  A lineup & size comparison of all the mechs with artwork. (As of November 2018).

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  The cover featuring the IPS-N Nelson.

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  BRRRRRRRTTT

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  The Goblin, more affectionately known as the mech fursuit.

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  Rip and tear with power axes and assault grapples.

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  Do not look into the aperture of the device...

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  We promise this isn't Dark Souls.

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  Who's laughing at the manlet now?

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  NANOMACHINES, SON

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  Good, bad... I'm the mech with the gun.

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  A walking war crime built to burn out the "bugs". Heinlein would be proud.

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  Breach and clear.

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  The black orb on its gun ain't the Omnigun. It's the containment field of the Omnigun.

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  NICE LEGS DAISY DUKES

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  General Kenobi. You are a bold one.

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  Can automatically deal 100 damage to objects and terrain. You read that right.

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  Macross Missile Massacre

Links

• The itch.io page where you can buy it (or just download the free version if you're not bothering with GMing shit)
• COMP/CON, the official character-building app.
• 11dragonkid, noted youtuber who has an entire array of Lancer videos focused on the various rules of the game as well as some lore.